Never say never
Hey there fearLESS friends. Today I'm sharing a bit more about my wellness journey and some pictures of when I did henna as a form of emotional healing in 2012.
Back then I was told I would NEVER have hair again after losing it all in May of 2011. I'd developed brain lesions and alopecia universalis (AU) as a result of remicade infusions and medications to treat a diagnosis of Crohn's disease. In 2011 my world drastically changed, not just physically but also emotionally and spiritually. This was an extremely difficult time for me and I had to make some tough decisions. One was to sink or swim, or as I like to call it "spiral up or spiral down." You have a choice. I chose to spiral up.
You see, AU means no hair on your entire person, none; think mannequin. I even joked that I would be better off trying to apply at a retail store for that position than trying to continue my professional life as a special educator.
I decided with the help of my students to ditch the wigs and embrace my baldness. I had asked them to vote on wig or no wig.They made the best case when they said "Miss you've always taught us to be ourselves. Just be you miss, rock you, no wig." In that moment I knew I would never wear a wig again. I even let them tattoo my head with washable tats to model that different was okay.
Stress was also something that needed to be dealt with. I made lots of changes in my diet, my environment, my exercise routines, my workplace and my daily activities. Instead of rescuing everyone and everything else, it became abundantly clear that it was time to rescue myself.
I have been a vegetarian and later a pescatarian since 2000. Unfortunately even though I thought I had a fabulous diet it ended up that I didn't. Wheat, gluten, processed vegetarian foods and at times dairy all played a destructive role in my declining health.
Today I am a pescatarian who is also gluten/wheat free and dairy free since May of 2013. Most of you know I am a vegan at heart but my medical needs don't allow for it since my foods are incredibly restricted. Recently I became soy free after meeting a wonderful new naturopath Dr.Kathleen Riley, N.D. who has helped me discover through muscle tests the foods that are triggering negative responses in me. I have also eliminated almost all sugar from my diet. There are many different foods and environmental factors that cause my immune system to go berserk, as well as emotional ones. These responses can actually change from month to month or even day to day. After years of surgeries and medications my body is slowly healing and detoxing from all the western medications I have had since my health journey began in 2007.
These days my routine consists of Asea in the morning for the past four years, followed by supplements, daily tea ceremonies, green juices and smoothies. Lots of hydration for my permanent ileostomy and weekly meditation and yoga practices. I have been working with Dr Ming Wu of the Wu Healing Center for four years. I attend Tui Na once a week, qigong and have started learning tai chi. I am also a big fan of the Tao. I am learning to tame my monkey mind and slow down. I have also been working with an amazing energy worker, Theresa McGee of Illumine Wellness Arts who supports me as I go through my own personal process of transformation in body, mind, and spirit.
I now have eyelashes, some body hair, partial eyebrows and a lot of hair growth on my head. I even had a couple hair cuts this year already. *See previous hair explosion journey*, my advice...never say never! Don't listen to what they say, listen to your own internal voice. Know who you are.
